1. Field of the Invention
This invention resides in the field of railroad warning systems and more particularly relates to a warning system for train operators, railroad personnel and others working in the vicinity of railroad tracks to give train operators warning of railroad personnel near the train tracks and to give train workers, railroad personnel and others warning of oncoming trains. This invention will also give train operators a display of the specific railroad personnel and others (i.e. first responders, police, firemen, EMS personnel, track walker, track work gangs, track inspectors, other train(s), etc.) as well as in some embodiments giving the train operator early warning of speed restricted areas and of the activation of biological/chemical detectors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the fields of light rail vehicle, trolley line, third rail-powered vehicles and tramways, alerting work crews or railroad personnel on or near the tracks of an oncoming train or vehicle, herein referred to as “train,” has been addressed by many methods. Because working on tracks can involve work methods such as digging, hammering and other loud-noise producing acts, workers frequently cannot hear oncoming trains and are in great danger of being struck by such oncoming trains. Also, when individuals, such as first responders, police, firemen, EMS personnel, and track inspectors are on the tracks responding to an emergency or incident, they are in great danger of being struck by such oncoming trains. One of the oldest warning methods employs flag men or whistle men who are positioned a distance away from the workers, such as 3,000 ft., 2,000 ft. or a distance related to the stopping distance of a train from a work crew, in both directions of the track who signal with their flags and/or their whistles to warn of oncoming trains. Due to lack of worker attention or distracting ambient noise, work crews sometimes do not see the flag waving or hear the whistle blowing so that these warning methods can often not be reliable. None of the previous or current methods alerts the train operator or gives the train operator exact information of what type of railroad personnel is on the track ahead. Further, none of the previous or current methods gives early alert to first responders, police, firemen, track walkers, track work gangs, and track inspectors that a train is approaching. Moreover, none of the previous or current methods gives the train operator early warning of sharp or dangerous curves or the activation of biological/chemical detectors.
More recently the train operator can receive warnings by radio that workers are on the tracks in the train's vicinity, but frequently because of their poor communication in tunnels and curves and because trains require long distances to stop, such warnings can be ineffective.
Many patents have issued on railroad personnel warning devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,282 to S. R. Hursh et. al., which teaches a railroad warning system for warning a work gang working on a railroad track of an approaching train by means of using a train detector physically connected to the track which is activated by having an electrical circuit completed by the pressure of the train's wheels passing thereover. When activated, the device sends a signal to radio receivers and also sets off an audible alarm while at the same time notifying the train operator that a work gang is on the track ahead. This type of system has been improved upon, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,651 to Penza et. al. where a train transmitter is coupled to a loop buried underneath railroad tracks permanently. Once the train passes over the loop, the warning radio frequency signal can be directed to receivers worn by at least one of the workers in proximity to the railroad tracks to warn such workers of an approaching train in sufficient time to move away from the tracks. Since many workers can wear the portable radio frequency receivers, they do not need to rely upon others nearby to give them notice of the approach of a train. Such pager-like systems can include vibratory alarms which help to notify workers in loud-noise situations. The Penza warning system not only can include portable receivers such as portable paging devices, but also can generate an output signal to activate a visual display, such as flashing lights and the like. The Penza system can utilize a control base positioned near the workers, which base can also receive a signal from a transmitter that is installed within the train or such transmitter can be coupled to a loop buried underneath the railroad tracks to sense when the train is passing by and can send a warning signal in sufficient time for the workers to clear the tracks. U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,162 to Pace provides a system that can be controlled and positioned by workers on the tracks near where they are working to give them advanced notice of an oncoming train. In Pace a train detector probe can be placed near the train tracks at a predetermined distance by the work crew which probe detects an oncoming train and transmits a radio frequency signal to a receiver in the vicinity of the work crew. The system is portable, operating on rechargeable batteries or solar power, and can include multiple warning devices for alerting two or more work crews in a construction zone which has multiple active railway tracks therein. These aforementioned systems do not give early warning to the train operator.